1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for performing toner saving processing on image data, and an image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A processing mode in order to suppress an amount of consumed color materials of an image forming device, i.e., a mode in which a so-called toner-saved printout is produced, is widely known as a function to save printing costs by decreasing the density at the time of printing. Further, in recent years, the image quality equivalent to that output at the time of normal printing is also required for toner saving output processing while saving the printing cost.
As one of the processing methods, there is a method for outputting the image quality equivalent to that output at the time of normal printing by detecting an edge and removing the color from an inner region surrounded by the detected edge so as to leave the edge for enhancement (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-086805).
There is, however, such a problem that, for example, in a case when there is a solid-white character in the inner region surrounded by the edge, the removal of color from the inner region considerably degrades visibility of, in particular, the white character.